FTD DELIVERS $35M CAMPAIGN

Florists' Transworld Delivery, Southfield, Mich., plans to reintroduce itself to consumers, hoping its new $35 million marketing campaign, updated products and a new logo will attract a younger crowd.

"Strategically, our mission from a product and marketing point of view is to reinvent FTD as a company," said CEO Margaret "Meg" Whitman.

FTD already appeals to people (mostly women) ages 45 to 54, she said, but the goal is to capture those under 45 as well.

The new image campaign from Grey Advertising, New York, is themed "The language of the heart." Commercials breaking today on network, spot and cable TV spotlight the sentimental significance of an FTD bouquet. Magazine ads support.

In the last few years, competition in the estimated $12.4 billion floral industry has come from retailers ranging from supermarkets to street corner vendors.

FTD also is facing increasing competition from another vendor-1-800-Flowers, Westbury, N.Y. Though the two compete in the interactive world, 1-800-Flowers is also one of the largest customers of FTD's wire service and a member of its association.

FTD plans to pursue interactive marketing aggressively. The company has a presence on the CompuServe online network and a home page on the World Wide Web (http://www.ftd.com).

The former floral association merged with Perry Capital Corp., New York, in December 1994, splitting the company into a for-profit corporation and a sister non-profit trade association.